Something Worth Fighting For
by PowerSchlumpfi
Summary: 4x01 TAG - My take on Emma's thoughts and feelings after the first episode of season 4. Also a bit of Captain Swan fluff and a nice mother-daughter conversation between Snow and Emma.


**So I saw a few amazing Captain Swan gif sets on Tumblr that inspired me to write an Episode Tag based on Emma's thoughts and feelings after 4x01. It's really just a little something that gave me feels while writing it. I hope you'll enjoy it, too!**

**I haven't had a beta and I'm not a native speaker, so please be kind. :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own OUAT or any of its characters. **

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><p>When Emma came home that night, she felt utterly exhausted. The past few weeks – months even - had been stressful, wearing her out in every way possible. First the Wicked Witch, then her little trip to the past and now a giant snow monster appearing out of nowhere. Her brain felt like a mess and her body felt like it was about to fall apart. All she wanted was taking a hot bath and thinking everything through, deciding what to do next. And she really had a lot to think about: There was Regina, for one, whose happiness she'd just destroyed involuntarily and there was a certain pirate, who she just couldn't get out of her mind.<p>

A small smile crept to her lips as she thought of him and hung her jacket up on the coatrack. It was still there, when she turned around and almost bumped into Mary Margret. Startled, she laid a hand on her chest to feel her own heart rate speeding up.

"God! You almost gave me a heart attack! What are you doing?"

"I was worried about you! David told me about that giant snow monster and how only Regina could defeat it. You think we should be worried?"

"Don't know yet. We have to find out who created that thing first."

Mary Margret nodded and gave her daughter a smile, before turning around and walking over to the kitchen. "Tea?" she asked over her shoulder.

"Sure." Emma followed her and sat down on one of the barstools, burying her head in her arms on the counter.

"So… did you talk to Hook?" Mary Margret asked, smiling knowingly as she prepared two cups of tea.

Emma looked up and tried hard to sound casually, saying: "Why?"

"Well, you had that special smile on your face when you came in."

"Did I?"

"You did. I know that smile." Mary Margret turned around and placed one steaming cup of tea in front of Emma. "He seemed a little upset this morning."

"Yeah. I talked to him and I told him to be patient. It's all just too much to handle right now. I don't even know what to think about first. And… then there's the other thing."

"What?"

"I… I feel guilty, about Regina. And if I now start to… if I… well, it wouldn't be fair, would it?"

Mary Margret took a deep breath and leaned over to cover Emma's hand with hers. She looked up into her eyes, a sympathetic look in her eyes.

"You are a good person, Emma. That's why you feel guilty and it's only natural. But don't let that feeling stand in the way of your own happiness. You deserve to be happy. You deserve to have a life."

Emma gave her mother a small smile.

"Yeah. That's what Killian said, too. He told me that I might miss my life if I don't start living for the quiet moments in between. "

"And he's right."

"I know. I just wish it'd be that easy."

Mary Margret watched Emma for a while, suspiciously raising an eyebrow. Emma sipped on her tea, trying to bring order into the chaos in her brain.

"There's more to it, isn't there?"

Emma sighed. Her mother and Killian – they were both way too good at reading her like an open book.

"It's just… that I've never been good at relationships and all that stuff and… and… I really… I really just don't want to mess this up, I guess." She raised an eyebrow.

It was a completely new realization. But she found that she really wanted this thing she had with the pirate to work. She didn't want to mess it up and lose him again. And she was scared. She was truly scared.

"You really like him, huh?"

She definitely liked him. But there was more than that. Butterflies. A racing heart… She knew exactly what she was feeling. She'd fallen for him. Because he made her feel good and safe and he always encouraged and supported her, was always there when she needed him. He was willing to go extreme lengths in order to keep her safe and didn't expect anything in return. He was doing it simply because… he loved her. He loved her for who she was.

"I… I think I might be in love with him." she whispered and widened her eyes at her own confession. Where did that come from?

Mary Margret smiled broadly, patting Emma's hand.

"Well, that's a good thing. Love is the most wonderful and the most powerful thing in the world. Don't be afraid of giving into it, Emma."

Emma raised an eyebrow. "Really? I thought you wouldn't be… all too happy with my man choice."

"A pirate with a hook instead of a hand might not be my first choice for my little princess, but fact is that it isn't my choice, you're not a child anymore and you can't choose who you fall in love with. Love just happens. And it is wonderful as it is; because love has the power to change and to heal people. I think that's what it's done with him."

"I think you might me right about that. Well… the _princess_ and the pirate. Seems like I get my own fairytale after all. Let's just hope it'll be a good story. With a happy ending."

Mary Margret gave her daughter another smile and came around the counter to hug her tightly.

"It'll all turn out the way it is supposed to be. And I'm 200% sure it'll be alright."

Emma really hoped that her mother was right about that, too.

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><p>"<em>I think I might be in love with him." <em> Her own words kept following her everywhere and she tried her best to get them out of her head, but she just wouldn't succeed. She was finally taking that bath she'd been longing for all day and couldn't get her thoughts off the pirate. She thought about how they'd started off and how everything had changed. She thought about everything he'd done for her and how he was genuinely trying to redeem himself. Somewhere along the way he'd managed to win her heart without her even realizing at first.

She had feelings for him that were… new. Different. She'd loved Neal, but it'd never felt quite like she felt now. She didn't know what it was and it scared her, but she couldn't help it. Emma knew she couldn't act on her feelings just like that, though. She'd been alone for too long and had had her heart broken too many times. She'd need time and she hoped that he'd wait, because what she'd said earlier was true: She didn't want to lose him. She couldn't bear it.

Emma was just out of the bathtub, wrapped in a big, fluffy towel and her hair hanging wet over one of her shoulders, when she heard the bell ringing. Frowning, she tiptoed out of the bathroom and over to the door to see which new crisis she'd have to face. She was so tired!

She sighed, when she opened it, but smiled instantly when she recognized Hook standing in front of it.

"Killian!" she said in surprise and noticed how he scanned her from bottom to top, a big smile on his face.

"I must say, quite the outfit, Swan."

"Like you don't like it." Emma grinned. "What are you doing here?"

"Wishing you a good night." he stepped forward and took Emma's hand to press his lips gently against the back of it.

"No, really. Did something happen?"

Hook rolled his eyes, but kept a smile on his face.

"Nothing happened, no new monsters, just here to say good night."

Emma smiled back at him, her heart warming at his lovely gesture.

"I could've been asleep already." she said then and grinned.

"Nah. Knew you wouldn't be. You have way too much on your mind right now to fall asleep early." He was still holding her hand in his and squeezed it lightly.

Emma gave him a smile, stepping a bit closer.

"Well then, Love. I wish you a very, very good night." He said and kissed her hand another time, his eyes fixed on hers. Then he let go of it and turned slowly on his heels.

Emma stared at him for a second before reacting. She grabbed his sleeve and spun him back around. "You forgot something." she said, before grabbing his lapels and pulling him down to her. She pressed her lips gently against his and moved them, waiting for him to respond. He did after a few seconds and Emma sighed contently into their kiss.

It was a bit longer than the small kiss she'd given him earlier that day, but not too long either. When they broke apart again, Killian cupped her cheek with his hand and caressed it gently with his thumb, his soft looking eyes locked on hers.

Then he leaned down again and kissed her lightly, before letting go off her completely and taking a step back. A small smile was lingering on his lips, resembling the soft look in his eyes.

"Good night, Emma." He said.

Emma smiled back at him. "Good night, Killian." She said.

Then he turned around and walked down the hall, leaving her behind. She stared after him, slowly starting to freeze in her towel. When he was gone, she closed the door and leaned against it, absentmindedly touching her lips with her fingers.

And suddenly she realized how lucky she was to have him and his love.

She would do everything to make it work.

She would do everything to bring happiness into her own life and into the lives of everyone around her, especially Regina's.

Because love was something worth fighting for.


End file.
